


I can't apologize more for my absence of emotion

by hornethq



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Established Relationship, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Karlnapity, M/M, Memory Loss, Polyamory, Sorry Not Sorry, Web Series: Tales from the SMP, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:00:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29663505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hornethq/pseuds/hornethq
Summary: Karl returns from another time travel adventure.Turns out he's been gone for weeks, and his fiancés are overjoyed to finally have him backThing is, he doesn't remember them
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs, Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Alexis | Quackity/Sapnap, Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 9
Kudos: 111





	I can't apologize more for my absence of emotion

**Author's Note:**

> title is from "It Was a Swift Not a Swallow (I Never Listen)" by Crywank!

A loud whoosh of wind blew through the empty library, knocking a few books down. A man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, falling to the ground with a dull thud. 

“Jeez, couldn’t you have been a little more gentle?” He groaned, picking himself up off the ground. He received only silence in response, exactly what he had expected. The short brunette paced over to a chest, pulling an empty notebook from inside. He made his way to a very cluttered desk, flicking on a lamp on his way. Adjusting his faded hoodie, he flipped open the book and began to write.

_ Journal #15 _

_ I cannot seem to figure out anything else about this stupid castle. The more I find the more confusing it gets. I so badly wish I wasn’t alone in figuring this out. If only I had someo- _

“Karl?” His writing was interrupted by someone calling his name. He quickly slammed the journal shut and shoved it under some loose papers. He heard the creak of a trapdoor as someone started to make their way down the ladder towards him. From the sound of it there were at least 2 people on their way.

“Karl! There you are!” A dark haired man in a bandana rushed to Karl, pulling him into a tight hug. “We were worried sick, please don’t disappear like that again babe.” The other man, the shortest of the 3 and wearing a beanie, rushed to join the embrace.

Karl nervously chuckled, pulling away from the hug. “I’m normally never one to turn down a hug, but I must say I’m a little confused.” He fidgeted with the strings of his hoodie, scanning the others’ faces in a desperate attempt to jog his memory. “I’m sorry, but I’m not entirely sure who you are.” Karl shrunk into himself as he watched both boys’ body language shift from joy to pure confusion, and no one spoke for what felt like years.

“Karl this isn’t funny.” The man in the beanie finally broke the silence. “Stop playing around.” He sounded angry, though Karl picked up on the fear creeping through. 

“I’m serious! I’m sorry, but I’m not joking.” Karl tried to keep his voice level, “I feel like I’ve seen you before, but I don’t know when.”

“Karl…” Where there was anger in the first man’s voice, there was nothing but pain in the other’s. “You really don’t remember us?”

Something in his voice sparked a memory in Karl. “Wait! It’s coming back to me!” The taller man’s eyes lit up as he waited anxiously for what Karl would say next. “James! You’re James, and that means you,” Karl turned to the shortest boy, “Must be Drew!” Pride filled Karl’s eyes, pride that he had managed to remember his friends.

“Nope.” That pride was short lived as Drew- no, apparently not Drew, shut him down. “I don’t know where you met a Drew or a James, but there isn’t anyone by those names that I know of.”

Not James shook his head. “Me neither.” He gently tilted Karl’s head up to look the man in his eyes. “Did you hit your head or something? How could you forget us?” He spoke quietly, trying and failing to hide the fear in his voice.

“I-I don’t know.” Karl stepped back, putting significant distance between himself and the other men. “I’m sorry.”

“You forgot your own fiancees?” The shortest man’s voice held none of the gentleness that the other’s had. “You disappear on us for 2 weeks, and when we finally get you back you don’t even fucking remember us? What the hell happened?”

Karl’s eyes widened in shock. “2 weeks? I was gone for 2 weeks?” Not-James nodded, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. “No no no, I can’t have been gone for that long.” Karl shakily pushed his hands through his messy hair, “No, no, it only felt like a few hours!”

The other 2 boys watched in silence as Karl frantically dug through his belongings, glancing at each other in concern. 

“Karl.” The tallest boy finally spoke. “You can figure the time thing out later, please focus on us. You need to remember us, please.” His voice cracked and he took a shaky breath. “I’m Sapnap,” He offered, waiting for some sense of recognition to show on Karl’s face. “Y’know, Sappynappy? Sappitus? Pandas?” He let out a frustrated sigh, as it was clear that wasn’t helping. “Q, you try.”

The other boy nodded. “I’m Quackity. Big Q? Flatty patty? Alex?” Still nothing seemed to be getting through to Karl, nothing was clicking. “Can I see your left hand?” Quackity asked, holding out his own. Karl nodded and obliged, just then noticing the ring he was wearing. “See, look, our engagement rings! Sap has one too.” Sapnap nodded and held out his own hand, showing off the ring. 

Karl stared blankly at the rings. He tried his best to wrack his brain for any connection, but there was nothing. “The names sound vaguely familiar, but I just honestly do not remember. I’m so sorry, clearly we must’ve been close but I don’t remember.” He pulled his hand back, still staring at the ring on his finger. Slowly, he removed it, holding it out to the boys but not looking at them. “Take it. It doesn’t feel right to keep it when I don’t even know you.” 

“What?” Sapnap took a step back, feeling like he had just been hit by a truck. “Are you serious?”

Quackity silently pocketed Karl’s ring, pulling Sapnap into a comforting hug and murmuring reassurances to the now sobbing man. 

Karl felt overwhelmed by guilt. How could he have forgotten these people, who were clearly important to him? “I’m so sorry.” He whispered, “I think you should go.” 

Quackity nodded, grabbing his remaining fiance's hand and pulling him back towards the ladder out of the library. “Karl?” He stopped by the ladder, turning back to face the man who forgot him. “If you do remember, we’ll be in Kinoko, waiting for you. I love you. We love you.” 

Karl could do nothing but nod in response, unable to form words. Once the 2 boys were gone, he collapsed into a ball against his bookshelf, finally letting sobs overtake his body.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! absolutely no apologies for the angst, if I had to think it y'all had to read it
> 
> follow me on twitter!! @hornetsaysstuff


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